If you’ve lined up a family holiday to the Costa del Sol, in the south of Spain, then the kids and the hubby are in for a treat. The sunny, cheerful Costa del Sol in Spain boasts a stunning capital city (Malaga), plus various resorts offering a range of activities. If anything, you can almost have too much fun! Here are three of the best places to go with the family.
Crocodile Park
This park never fails to fascinate the younger generations – or the older ones, for that matter – even if they do think they’re too cool for school. Better still, this park in Torremolinos is not a seasonal attraction and is therefore open throughout the entire year.
You’ll get to meet Paco, the biggest crocodile in Europe (from a safe distance!) and can even have your photo taken while holding a crocodile. There are displays with the crocodiles at set times during the day. Remember that you’re in the crocodiles’ territory and should respect the park always, which means holding onto any litter until you can find a bin.
Image by sudhi_11in, used under Creative Commons license 2.0
Aqualand
Torremolinos offers a range of delights for families: Aqualand is another one of these. This is a seasonal attraction, opening in the summer and closing for winter, and is one of the best ways to combine cooling off with family fun. You can take it easy in the Jacuzzi while the kids get their kicks on rides like the Twister, the Boomerang or the Rapids, or if they’re younger then they can play in the Kids Park. The sun gets hot in Malaga during the summer, so bring plenty of sun cream with you, and remember to keep applying it throughout the day, even if it is waterproof sun cream.
Dolphin and whale watching
No child can fail to like friendly creatures like dolphins or be impressed by the beauty of the whales. If you’re staying in the Benalmadena area you can go out on dolphin watching and whale watching excursions. Some of the tour operators take you out on glass-bottomed boats, so as well as see these mammals swim past you, you can watch them glide peacefully under your feet. It’s a beautiful sight. Again, note that you’re a guest in the territory of the animals and shouldn’t throw any rubbish into the sea.
Image by Deirdre Woollard, used under Creative Commons licence 2.0
Although you’re on holiday and there to enjoy yourself, you should also make efforts to be a responsible holidaymaker during your stay. Try to save water by not taking an unnecessary number of showers per day, and use environmentally products such as ozone-friendly deodorants. Better still, if you can buy local products, you’ll be helping to sustain the local economy. Apply a responsible travel ethic while you are out there and you can enjoy your holiday even more, knowing that you’ve done everything you can to protect the environment in the process.